1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copyholder, and, in particular, to a copyholder that is universally adjustable so that a sheet of paper may be oriented at a comfortable viewing angle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Copyholders are used on a daily basis by secretaries and other professionals involved in data entry and word processing to hold a sheet of paper in a substantially vertical position so that the information on the paper may be typed on a typewriter or stored in a computer. Normally, secretaries place the copyholder on their desk immediately beside their typewriter or computer while they work. Thus, they must sit with their body oriented toward the machine and with their head turned away from the machine and toward the copyholder to read the information on the paper.
Over time, sitting in this position becomes uncomfortable and causes severe neck and back aches. Further, secretaries must constantly focus and re-focus their eyes to compensate for the difference in distance between the copyholder and the computer screen. This constant re-focusing further exasperates the secretaries' discomfort because it causes eye strain and headaches.
These copyholders are also relatively large and occupy a great deal of space on a secretary's desk. Since most secretaries work on several different projects simultaneously, desk space is at a premium and they cannot afford to waste any of it with an unnecessarily large copyholder.
Thus, it would be advantageous if these copyholders were smaller and could be positioned closer to the machine. Prior art attempts at resolving this problem may be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,489 to Chu ("the Chu Copyholder") and 4,934,646 to Yueh ("the Yueh copyholder").
However, merely positioning the copyholder closer to the machine does not solve the neck and back aches and eye strain experienced by the secretaries. During the day, secretaries need to change their seating position to remain comfortable, and changing lighting conditions require that the angle of the paper be adjusted to reduce glare. The Chu and Yueh copyholders, however, are deficient because the degrees of freedom available for adjusting the orientation of the copyholder is limited.
Further, the number of positions available in a work area to initially set up the copyholder is often very limited. Thus, flexibility in initially positioning the copyholder is required. However, the prior art copyholders do not adequately provide this flexibility.
Accordingly, there is a need for a copyholder that will occupy very little space in a work area, that may be mounted on horizontal, vertical or any other work surface, and that is universally adjustable so that a sheet of paper may be held at a comfortable viewing angle for a user.